Thursday, June 12, 2008

Inexperience

5 Comments:

POD said...

George W. Bush was "inexperienced" too... don't count the chickens before they hatch!

Speaking of the Lincoln comparisons... why isn't Obama open to more "Town Hall" style debates? I would like to hear his views and opinions, and I think that agreeing to more than one town hall even would get him properly vetted to get my vote...

I don't get all orgasmic over the thought of an Obama presidency and I would like to know how he would react under pressure - especially against John McCain.

I agree with POD, I wish Obama had been more open to the type of town hall meetings McCain was advocating. As someone who was a proud Obama delegate representing my precinct at the Washington State caucus just a few months ago, I find my support for Obama growing more and more reluctant. I was first wooed by his talk of a new kind of politics, of advocating a real and substantive discussion that focuses on our national commonalities and sets aside the superficial and divisive. It seems to me an unscripted town hall meeting (or a series of them) would be a great venue for the two presumptive Presidential candidates to start that discussion. As I observe the Obama campaign begin to "play the game" a little bit by forgoing a venue which isn't seen as beneficial to their candidate, I get just slightly disheartened. I continue to support Obama as I believe he's what this country needs right now much more than McCain, but it will be interesting to follow his campaign's tactics over the coming months.

George W. Bush was "inexperienced" too... don't count the chickens before they hatch!

I don't get the salience of the above comment. It only further proves the point that perceived "experience" or "inexperience" in the context of a presidential campaign is pretty much irrelevant. Competency seems to be the word people are really searching for, but if the past 4 years have proved anything, it's that one can get reelected after criminally gross incompetence. And the incompetence exhibited after 2004, came after 4 years of "experience" in the Oval Office, mind you.

Like I said... don't count the chickens before they hatch! President Bush may have demonstrated his "incompetence" after his election in 2000 and subsequent re-election in 2004; however, Obama is still an unproven element and his "incompetence" may eventually reveal itself in other forms after his (imminent) election in November.

So Senator Obama should prove himself worthy by attending these town-hall style meetings in areas that may not be exactly the friendliest of audiences. Heck, Senator McCain is going to attend the NAACP meeting soon... at least he has the guts to be face to face with a group of people who may vehemently oppose his viewpoints.

STOP GIVING OBAMA A FREE PASS FOR CRYING OUT LOUD! He still needs to prove himself to a lot of Americans...